YMCA  -  MADISON,  NJ 
HISTORICAL  SKETCH 


BV  1090  .H64  1908 
Holden,  Edward  P. 
Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  Madison,  New 


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Young  Men's 
Christian  Association 

Madison,  New  Jersey 
Organized  June  2,  1 873 


Historical 
Sketch 


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Comer  Stone  Laid  Ma\)  25,    I  907 
T>edicated  April  5,   1908 


OFFICERS  AND  DIRECTORS: 

President,  James  H.  McGraw. 

Vice-President,  Rev.  Charles  F.  Sitterly.  D.D. 

Secretary,  Charles  G.  Davis. 

Treasurer,  Harold  S.  Buttenheim. 

James  A.  Webb.  William  P.  Tuttle. 

W.  R.  Baker.  James  H.  Baker. 

Edward  P.  Holden.  Fred  A.  Miller. 

S.  B.  Feniss.  J.  L.  Paulmier. 

E.  D.  Conklin.  W.  O.  Stoddard,  Jr. 

••  J.  Dickinson  Condict. 

General  Secretary,  Melvin  Jackson. 

Assistant  Secretary,  David  B.  Collard,  Jr. 

Physical  Director,  Stacy  B.  Betzler. 


BUILDING  COMMITTEE 

James  A.  Webb,  Chairman 
James  H.  Baker,  E.  P.  Holden, 

••J.  D.  Condict,  Charles  A.  Rathbun, 

Stark  B.  Ferriss,  Rev.  Chas.  F.  Sitterly,  D.D. 

Dr.  I.  N.  Van  De  Water 
James  H.  McGraw,  Melvin  Jackson. 

*Deceased 


Prepared  by  Edward  P.  Holden  at  the  request  of  the 
Board  of  'Directors. 


f^HE  beginning  of  the  Association  was  in  the  Spring 
.,  _^  of  1  873,  when  some  of  the  Christian  citizens  of 
the  community  felt  the  need  of  organized  spiritual  work  for 
young  men.  Among  these  were  Eder  E.  Haughwout, 
James  A.  Webb,  J.  M.  Nixon,  H.  A.  Nixon.  William 
P.  Tuttle  and  James  Boyd,  with  whom  the  Pastors  of 
the  churches  co-operated  most  earnestly.  The  result  of 
this  movement  was  a  call  for  a  meeting  held  at  the 
residence  of  James  A.  Webb,  on  the  evening  of  June  2, 
1873.  The  call  was  signed  by  Rev.  Robert  Aikman, 
D.D.,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Rev.  Thomas 
H.  Landon,  Pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
At  this  conference  there  were  present  Dr.  Aikman, 
James  A.  Webb,  Jeremiah  Baker,  John  Sealy,  William 
Compton,  Eder  E.  Haughwout  William  P.  Tuttle, 
Henry  A.  Nixon,  J.  M.  Nixon,  Henry  C.  Ohlen, 
Lewis  T.  Janes  and  William  T.  Sealy. 

Richard  C  Morse,  Secretary  of  the  International 
Committee  of  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations,  was 
also  present  and  assisted  in  the  work  of  organization. 
At  this  meeting  a  committee  of  organization  was 
appointed  who,  a  week  later,  recommended  a  constitution 
in  the  main  that  of  the  International  Committee,  which 
was  adopted. 

At  this  second  meeting  on  June  9,  there  were 
present,  in  addition  to  those  already  mentioned,  Nathaniel 
Niles,  James  Boyd,  W.  F.  Morrow,  E.  P.  Burroughs, 
Judge  Hancock,  M.  B.  Monroe,  James  Shier,  James 
C.  Holden. 


An  enrollment  of  members  followed  and  twenty- 
nine  men  signed  the  Constitution.  On  July  14,  the 
following  directors  of  the  Association  were  elected : 
Eder  E.  Haughwout,  James  Boyd,  James  A.  Webb, 
Nathaniel  Niles,  John  M.  Nixon,  William  P.  Tuttle, 
W.  T.  Sealy,  Charles  L.  Chovey,  W.  F.  Morrow, 
Henry  E.  Reddish  and  Horace  Holden. 

An  election  of  officers  was  held  on  July  18,  and 
Eder  E.  Haughwout  was  chosen  President.  His  experi- 
ence in  Association  work  in  New  York  City,  his  genial 
temper,  warm  heart  and  devotedness  to  the  Master, 
eminently  qualified  him  for  the  position.  His  associates 
were  W.  F.  Morrow,  Vice-President ;  W.  T.  Sealy, 
Corresponding  Secretary;  J.  M.  Nixon,  Recording 
Secretary,  and  W.  P.  Tuttle,  Treasurer. 

A  large  and  enthusiastic  public  meeting  was  held 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  July  25,  at  which 
the  money  needed  to  equip  the  rooms  was  promptly 
subscribed,  and  on  October  1  3,  the  Association  formally 
entered  upon  its  work  in  its  own  rooms.  These  were 
in  the  building  known  as  Oriental  Hall,  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  Neill  Building.  The  Association  occu- 
pied the  second  floor  as  the  reading  room,  which  was 
commodious  and  well  furnished.  The  third  floor  was 
used  as  an  audience  room,  holding  two  hundred  and 
fifty  persons. 

These  rooms  were  occupied  until  the  night  of 
Sunday,  October  21,  1877,  when  they  were  totally 
destroyed  by  a  fire  which  levelled  three  other  buildings, 


including  the  railroad  depot,  and  threatened  the  entire 
business  portion  of  the  town.  Nothing  was  saved  from 
the  building.  The  insurance  was  fortunately  sufficient  to 
equip  new  rooms.  Before  eight  o'clock  the  following 
morning,  Lyric  Hall  in  the  Brittin  Building  had  been 
rented,  and  in  the  evening  the  reading  room  was  open 
as  usual. 

Mr.  Haughwout  served  the  Association  as  President 
for  one  year  when  a  change  of  residence  compelled  his 
resignation.  His  interest  in  God's  work  was,  however, 
unabated,  and  when  the  news  of  his  death  reached  us, 
all  who  had  known  him  felt  a  sense  of  personal  loss,  but 
rejoiced  that  he  died  as  he  had  lived,  in  active  service. 

Mr.  Haughwout  was  succeed  by  James  A.  Webb, 
who  acted  for  five  years,  or  until  November  1  7,  1879, 
when  Edward  P.  Holden  was  elected  in  his  stead. 

James  H.  McGraw  was  elected  President  Septem- 
ber 23,  1901. 

\V.  F.  Morrow  was  succeeded  as  Vice-Pressdent 
by: 

James  Boyd,  Wiley  J.  Canfield, 

Charles  L.  Chovey,  Nathaniel  Niles, 

Edward  P.  Holden,  J.  M.  Young, 

J.  Walter  Lowrie,  Herbert  K.  Saxe, 

W.  L.  Tennyson,  I.  N.  Van  De  Water, 

Nathaniel  Walling  Clark,  Charles  F.  Sitterly, 
James  H.  Baker,  Jr. 


The  following  have  served  as  Secretaries  succeeding 
Mr.  Nixon: 

Horace  Holden,  Charles  A.  Rathbun, 

Charles  G.  Davis,  James  H.  Baker,  Jr., 

Joseph  N.  Tuttle,  Herbert  K.  Saxe, 

C.  W.  Scarborough,  M.  D. 

Seven  Treasurers  have  served  the  Association : 

Wm.  P.  Tuttle,  Charles  A.  Rathbun, 

W.  F.  Morrow,  James  H.  McGraw, 

Charles  G.  Davis,  S.  B.  Ferriss, 

H.  S.  Buttenheim. 

In  addition  to  those  already  mentioned,  the   following 
have  been  Directors : 


William  A.  Compton, 
Henry  C.  Ohlen, 
Edward  L.  Cook, 
H.  C.  Condit, 

E.  P.  Selmser, 
John  R.  Goble, 
Bishop  John  F.  Hurst, 

F.  L.  Neeld, 
Henry  A.  Nixon, 
W.  I.  Haven. 
Henry  1.  Brittin, 
J.  S.  Wadsworth, 
D.  J.  Duncan, 
Wm.  H.  Bradshaw, 


W.  F.  Switzer, 
M.  L.  Fisher, 
Lewis  R.  Pomeroy, 
W.  D.  Bagshaw, 
James  S.  Stearns, 
I.N.  Van  De  Water,  D.D.S., 
Stuart  H.  Reed,  M.  D., 
Fred  A.  Miller, 
E.  C.  Markham. 
William  B.  Weir, 
J.  Dickinson  Condict, 
J.  Lovel  Paulmier, 
Edmund  D.  Conklin, 
William  O.  Stoddard,  Jr. 


The  Association  from  the  beginning  became  a 
centre  of  Christian  activity  whose  reflex  influence  was 
felt  in  all  the  churches,  which  were  drawn  together  in 
bonds  of  Christian  unity  such  as  had  never  before  been 
experienced. 

The  cordial  fellowship  and  hearty  co-operation  of 
the  faculty  and  members  of  Drew  Seminary  has  always 
been  most  helpful. 

The  reading  room  was  well  attended,  although 
the  six  thousand  visitors  of  that  period  seem  a  small 
number  in  comparison  with  the  eighteen  thousand  per 
annum  of  the  present  time. 

The  influence  of  the  religious  work,  conducted  by 
a  committee  in  charge  of  James  Boyd,  soon  made  itself 
felt,  and  in  the  Fall  of  1875,  one  of  the  most  wide- 
spread revivals  which  has  ever  visited  the  community 
occurred.  Without  the  aid  of  an  evangelist,  the  work 
began  with  the  manifest  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
answer  to  united  prayer.  During  this  period,  not  only 
was  the  audience  room  filled,  but  the  adjoining  depot 
was  frequently  crowded  also  with  interested  audiences. 
At  this  time,  many  of  those  who  are  the  workers  in  our 
churches  to-day  made  confession  of  Christ  and  look  back 
upon  the  old  rooms  as  a  veritable  Bethel. 

From  that  time  forward,  though  in  varying  degrees, 
the  religious  impress  of  the  Association  has  been  felt  in 
this  community.  Year  by  year  souls  have  been  added 
to  the  churches,  who  remember  the  Association  as  their 
spiritual    birthplace,    while    others    have    there  felt    the 


influences  which  led  them  to  active  service. 

In  the  early  days,  besides  the  religious  services  in 
the  rooms,  in  common  with  other  associations,  much 
outside  missionary  work  was  done,  but,  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  work,  our  methods,  as  well  as  theirs,  have 
changed.  The  past  thirty-five  years  have  worked  a 
practical  revolution  in  the  conduct  of  associations  through- 
out the  world.  At  that  time,  their  work  was  more 
diffusive.  To-day,  it  is  specific.  Then,  all  classes  of 
the  community  were  sought  after ;  to-day,  its  work  is  for 
the  young  men  alone.  At  that  time,  less  than  one-sixth 
of  the  present  number  of  general  secretaries  were 
employed  in  the  United  States,  and  not  until  eight  years 
after  our  organization,  was  there  a  general  secretary  in 
the  State  of  New  Jersey.  Within  this  period,  the 
building  era  has  arisen,  definite  work  in  the  line  of  Bible 
study,  workers'  training  classes,  evangelistic  Bible  classes, 
work  among  the  boys,  railroad  men,  soldiers  and  sailors, 
the  work  in  colleges  has  also  shown  great  develop- 
ment during  this  period.  To  the  spirit  of  these  changes 
wc  have  responded,  and  the  Association  of  Madison 
conducts,  to-day,  specific  work  for  young  men  and  boys 
only. 

In  the  early  days,  the  larger  part  of  the  Association's 
work  was  conducted  outside  of  its  rooms.  To-day  all 
its  work  is  carried  on  within  its  building. 

During  its  thirty-five  years  of  life,  the  Association 
has  not  always  sailed  over  calm  seas  with  favoring  winds, 
but  has  had  its  share  of  storm  and  danger.     Happily  the 


rocks  upon  which  other  associations  have  been  wrecked 
have  been  avoided,  and  to-day  we  move  upon  an  open 
sea  of  prosperity  in  the  sunshine  of  God's  loving  approval. 
Of  the  thirty  or  more  associations  in  New  Jersey  existing 
at  the  time  of  our  organization,  two  only  of  the  original 
bodies  remain,  though  many  new  ones  have  been  planted 
upon  the  graves  of  the  old. 

We  have  ever  maintained  that  when  the  Associa- 
tion was  doing  its  legitimate  work,  (the  salvation  of 
young  men)  abundant  means  would  be  afforded  it  for 
the  carrying  on  of  that  work.  Our  experience  has 
justified  this  assertion.  A  low  spiritual  condition  of  the 
Association  and  an  empty  treasury  have  always  been 
co-incident. 

The  first  General  Secretary,  M.  J.  Trenery,  took 
office  March  1 ,  1 895,  and  continued  until  July  1 ,  1 898. 
His  coming  inaugurated  a  new  era  in  the  life  of  the 
Association.  Organized  work  for  the  boys  was  begun 
and  physical  culture  classes  organized.  W.  H.  McBee 
succeeded  him  December,  1898,  holding  office  until 
January,  1902.  J.  H.  Sawyer  served  as  Secretary  from 
March  to  June,  1902.  E.  G.  Randall  assumed  office 
September,  1902,  resigning  in  December,  1905.  His 
successor  was  Melvin  Jackson,  who  began  his  work  in 
October,  1 906.  We  record  v^th  pleasure  our  appre- 
ciation of  the  valuable  and  efficient  services  rendered  by 
Mr.  Jackson  during  the  construction  of  this  building. 

Ten  years  ago  the  Women's  Auxiliary  was  organ- 
ized  and  has  proved  a  most  worthy  helpmate   to  the 


Association.  Their  relation  to  the  boys'  work  and  the 
social  side  has  been  most  helpful,  while  their  financial 
aid  has  been  generous  and  kindly. 

August  26,  1897,  the  Board  of  Directors  author- 
ized the  purchase  of  the  property  on  which  our  building 
is  erected.  In  the  Fall  of  1 903,  the  building  canvas 
was  begun,  but  many  complications  delayed  its  progress. 
The  inspiration  of  the  present  building  wave  throughout 
the  country  has  aided  in  bringing  to  fruition  the  hopes 
of  many  years  and  Madison  contributes  her  share  to  the 
three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars  pledged  or  paid  for 
Association  buildings  in  New  Jersey  this  year. 

The  present  membership  of  the  Association,  men 
1 04,  boys  59,  sustaining  36.  Of  the  men  74  are  active 
members. 


The  Board  of  Directors  take  pleasure  in  acknowl- 
edging the  faithful  and  satisfactory  services  of  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen  and  firms  in  the  construction  of  this 
building. 

H.    KING  CONKLIN,  Madison,  N.  J. 
Architect. 

Stull  and  Philhower,  Madison,  N.  J.,  .       Carpenters. 

J,  V.  Corbett,                    "           "  .          .       Mason. 
Charles  C.  Force  &  Son,  "          '*  Iron  and  Steam  Heat. 

Would  Brothers,  Madison,  N.  J.,  .         Plumbers. 

Mackenzie  &  Erb,     "             "       .  .            Painters. 

E.  P.  Felch,                "             "      .  .        Electrician. 

H.  H.  Driggs,  New  York,     .         .  Tile  and  Marble. 

Star  Roofing  Co.,  New  York,         .  .         .     Roofs. 

Rice  Wray  Co.,  New  York,           .  .           Screens. 

J.  Bleeker,  New  York,                     .  .           Copper. 


FURNISHINGS 

Naragansett  Machine  Co.,  New  York. 

Brunswick,  Balke,  Collender  Co.,  New  York. 

Arnold,  Constable  Co.,  New  York. 

W.  &  J.  Sloane,  New  York. 

John  Wanamaker,  New  York. 

E.  P.  Burroughs  &  Son,  Madison,  N.  J. 

Hale  Desk  Co.,  New  York. 

Mosler  Safe  Co.,  New  York. 

Sanford,  Bell,  Lahn,  New  York. 

Browe  Company,  Newark,  N.  J. 


^^^^.o.s°-*oc.„^^^ 


MADISON,  NEW  JERSEY 


